Penny Appeal’s ‘halal-arious’ comedy tour raises half a million pounds to help refugees and orphans

International humanitarian charity Penny Appeal hosted a sell-out UK comedy tour this month, which featured some of the leading Muslim comedians from America and the UK, who all came together to raise over half a million pounds for the refugee crisis in Europe.

The tour, cleverly titled The Super Muslim Comedy Tour, visited 12 locations and had audiences laughing out of their seats with ‘halal-arious’ jokes about modern day Muslim lifestyle.

The tour featured some of the world’s leading artists like Hollywood star Omar Regan, internet sensation Baba Ali and American hit Moses the Comic, along with established and rising comedians like Jeff Mirza, Abdullah Afzal, Nabil Abdul Rashid, Prince Abdi and Shaista Aziz.

As well as raising smiles, each evening of entertainment raised money to support refugees and orphans worldwide, with a total of £500,000 given in donations and commitments.

During the tour, fundraisers Rizwan Hussain and Ajmal Masroor highlighted Penny Appeal’s work in places such as Athens and Lesbos, where champion boxer Amir Khan helped with the delivery of vital aid such as food, medicine, hygiene items and sleeping bags to refugees arriving from places such as Syria and Afghanistan.

The money raised will provide 4,776 refugee families with life-saving aid and also care for vulnerable orphans worldwide through 474 orphan sponsorships.

As well as raising money, the tour helped to combat growing Islamophobia by offering a more positive image of Muslims and showing that comedy can be just as funny when it’s family-friendly.

Comedian Omar Regan said: “It was the best comedy tour ever! The British people are so generous and we had a lot of halal fun each night. It’s been amazing to see people come together to have some laughs and help those in need around the world, and we’re all so grateful to have been a part of it.”

Aamer Naeem, Penny Appeal CEO, added: “The tour was a unique opportunity to bring families and communities together for an evening of laughter and charity, and every night was a reminder of how important it is to do what we can to help other people.

“Refugees continue to arrive in Europe and, as winter sets in, their journeys towards safer lives become even more treacherous, making this a vital time for us to provide warm clothes, hot food and waterproof shelter. Our teams remain on the ground to deliver this life-saving aid, but there’s still much more we can do. Donations can be made by calling 03000 11 11 11 or visiting pennyappeal.org.”